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Why our heart is still on the high street

Between January and September 2014, town centres saw 964 closures - two-and-a-half times the amount recorded for the whole of 2013, according to a study by accountancy firm PwC.* This has led many to question what it is that consumers actually want and how businesses can tailor their offering accordingly.

In Principality’s experience, while our service delivery must undoubtedly continue to evolve to meet the rapidly changing needs of the modern world, the fundamental basics of what customers want remain the same.

They quite rightly demand a high quality of service from a brand they can relate to, and that they believe in and trust implicitly. Within this also lies the right to be able to communicate with a company in whichever way suits them, and on this basis the power of human interaction for a customer mustn’t be underestimated.

We remain committed to the high street, having recently opened our 71st high street outlet in Chepstow. As long as our customers demand advice and service on the high street we will continue to try and meet the this need, with a friendly face, rather than an automated or remote service, as this remains core to our offering as a local, community-focused building society.

As Wales’ largest building society, our Members’ financial needs remain at the heart of everything we do, and we see the fact that our own high street presence continues to go from strength to strength as no coincidence - more a reflection of the power the consumer retains through simply voting with their feet.

This sentiment was reflected in the announcement of Principality’s annual results for 2014, released earlier this month, which showed the Society’s continued commitment to retaining its strong hold on the high street, and its wider support of community causes through this branch network. Against a backdrop of concern around the prosperity of the mutually-owned finance sector across the UK, Principality continues to thrive and grow for the benefit of our Members. The results further demonstrate that it’s been another successful year financially too. We grew our assets to £7.3bn (2013: £7.1bn) and net retail mortgage balances to £4.8bn (2013: £4.5bn), whilst being upgraded and awarded a positive outlook by Moody’s Investors Service. Our profits before tax on continuing operations also grew to £53.5m (2013: £28.2m), which will allow us to invest in the business for the future and help us meet capital requirement s from UK and European regulators.

Alongside these successes, we remain mindful that community is the reason we exist. As the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words, so alongside the delivery of 1600 hours of staff volunteering, in the past year Principality also invested more than £40,000 into local communities, raised £86,000 for our staff voted Charity of the Year, MS Society Cymru, as well as being awarded a number of community and industry awards.

In the same period, we kept above-average savings rates** and retained the most recommended savings provider in Wales*** title for the second year running. In addition to this, we have also helped more than 2,300 first-time buyers get the all-important first leg up onto the property ladder.

So there are many ways that continued engagement with our customers in communities across Wales and the borders has seen Principality continue to prosper economically throughout 2014.

It with optimism and thanks, therefore, that we can approach the coming financial year with a continued mission to protect our assets, grow our profits, and preserve our presence on the high street, for the sake of our much valued Members and the communities they represent.

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